List of presidents pro tempore of the Idaho Senate

This is a complete list of individuals who have served as president pro tempore of the Idaho Senate to the present. The president pro tempore, often abbreviated to "the pro tem", is a senator chosen from the majority party and elected by the entire Senate. The senator occupying this position will preside over the Senate in the absence of the lieutenant governor or will assign another senator to preside in his stead. When the pro tem or his designee presides over the Senate, they maintain their ability to vote on all matters before the Senate, whereas the lieutenant governor only has a vote in the case of tie.

President pro tempore of the Idaho Senate
Incumbent Chuck Winder since 2020
Inaugural holder	John S. Gray

The pro tem is also second in line in succession to the governor.^[1] When both the governor and lieutenant governor are out of the state the pro tem serves temporarily as acting governor until their return. When a vacancy arises in the office of lieutenant governor the pro tem serves as acting lieutenant governor until governor appoints and the Senate confirms a successor. The pro tem is also the leader of the majority party. The office has both administrative and policy roles, though the bulk of work on the Senate floor is largely delegated to the majority leadership.

	Name	Party	Term of service	Home county	Notes
1	John S. Gray	Republican	1890–1891	Ada	Served as the ex-officio 2nd lieutenant governor
2	Alexander E. Mayhew	Democratic	1893–1894	Shoshone
3	Vic Bierbower	Republican	1895–1896	Logan
4	Joseph C. Rich	Populist	1897–1898	Bear Lake
5	Frank R. Gooding	Republican	1899–1900	Lincoln†	Served as the 7th governor and as U.S. senator
6	James W. Ballantine	Populist	1901–1902	Blaine
7	John W. Brigham	Republican	1903–1904	Latah
8	George E. Crum	Republican	1905–1906	Nez Perce
9	C. H. Nugent	Republican	1907–1908	Idaho
10	John W. Hart	Republican	1909–1910	Madison
11	Fred W. Gooding	Republican	1911–1912	Lincoln
12	John W. Hart	Republican	1913–1916	Madison
13	Perry W. Mitchell	Democratic	1917–1918	Nez Perce
14	E. W. Whitcomb	Republican	1919–1922	Lemhi
15	Lorenzo R. Thomas	Republican	1923–1924	Bingham
16	John McMurray	Republican	1925–1930	Cassia
17	George W. Grebe	Republican	1931–1932	Ada
18	E. G. Van Hoesen	Democratic	1933–1934	Adams
19	Perry W. Mitchell	Democratic	1935–1936	Lewis
20	James B. Newport	Democratic	1937–1938	Canyon
21	Thomas Heath	Republican	1939–1940	Franklin
22	Perry W. Mitchell	Democratic	1941–1942	Lewis
23	C. A. Robins	Republican	1943–1944	Benewah	Served as the 22nd governor
24	J. E. Williams	Republican	1945–1948	Bingham
25	O. E. Cannon	Democratic	1949–1950	Elmore
26	E. J. Soelberg	Republican	1951–1952	Butte
27	William C. Moore	Republican	– February 7, 1953	Latah	Resigned from office
28	Carl Irwin	Republican	1955–1956	Twin Falls
29	O. J. Buxton	Democratic	1957–1960	Teton
30	A. W. Naegle	Republican	1961–1962	Bonneville
31	Jack M. Murphy	Republican	1963–1966	Lincoln	Served as the 32nd lieutenant governor
32	R. H. Young	Republican	1967–1978	Canyon	Served previously as speaker of the House
33	James Ellsworth	Republican	1969–1976	Lemhi
34	Phil Batt	Republican	1976–1978	Canyon	Served as the 35th lieutenant governor and the 29th governor
35	Reed Budge	Republican	1978–1982	Caribou
36	Jim Risch	Republican	1982–1988	Ada	Served 39th and 41st lieutenant governor and as 31st governor; serves as U.S. senator
37	Mike Crapo	Republican	1988–1992	Bonneville	Currently serves as U.S. senator
38	Jerry Twiggs	Republican	1992–2000	Bingham	Died in office
39	Robert L. Geddes	Republican	2000–2010	Caribou
40	Brent Hill	Republican	2010–2020	Madison
41	Chuck Winder	Republican	2020–present	Ada	Incumbent

† Frank R. Gooding was elected from and represented Lincoln County in the Idaho Senate although his residence was in present-day Gooding County, which was created in 1913 from Lincoln County, after his service as governor, and is his namesake.

See also

• List of Idaho state legislatures

References

1. "Constitution of the State of Idaho: Article IV — Executive Department". Secretary of State of Idaho. Retrieved August 22, 2019.